A Block of Many Colors

This 48”x30”x2” monster was a custom order for the theater department at Otterbine College in Westerville Ohio. It features 7 different species blocked together in a multitude of sizes and if you look closely you can see the subtle “block O” pattern in the center (Go Bucks!). It should be noted that this table was not built using traditional butcher block carpentry. I employed every “cheat” possible to join all of the different species together. The center of the table contains several different core boards, pegs, screws, bolts, etc. I am a firm believer in breaking the rules to enhance the creative possibilities. The art comes first for me. Then I find a way to make the vision come to life by any means necessary. A master craftsman I am not. Enjoy!

Thank you. I started with a light golden oak stain. Natural stain was my first thought, but all of those contrasting grains and colors needed just a bit of color to create some sense of unity. I used a wax based shellac for the sanding sealer in 3 fairly generous passes with the HVLP sprayer. However, I only sanded the first coat and the final coat and never used anything coarser than used 600 grit or 1500 tri-mite. The finish coat is a satin lacquer cut with 1/3 thinner, 1 shot glass full of retarder, and a thimble full of fish eye eliminator. I applied that in 2 light passes. I topped it off with a 2 hour long hand buffed paste wax finish after it had a week to fully cure.